Welcome
Thank you for your interest in LG DEI Services.
As founder and principal consultant, it is my pleasure to share something of our focus, perspective, offering and profile.
Gregor Ptok LLM, LLB
Focus: local government
As the level of government “closest to the people”, local government exists to serve local communities.
This presents unique challenges, such as:
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Balancing the needs of current and future residents.
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Navigating increasingly polarised political discourse.
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Cost- and regulatory-burden shifting from other levels of government.
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Decision-makers and staff being part of the community they serve.
Yet, in increasingly uncertain and challenging times, it is at the local level where connections and that people's lives in the physical locations where people live, that the challenges play out.
Our desire to support people’s well-being has led us to contribute our best skills & insights to the local government sector. Since 2008.
Perspective: people's wellbeing
Human beings are complex.
We have different beliefs and stories about the world and our place in it.
At LG DEI Services, we subscribe to the view that homo sapiens became a recognisable species on the plains of Africa an estimated 260,000 years ago. It’s only in the past 12,000 years, with a more stable climate, that agriculture and more stratified societies became possible.
The oldest evidence of written language is from 5,200 years ago. Our modern, industrialised civilisation began around 260 years ago. Social media, a ubiquitous aspect of modern life (and accelerant of modern cultural development) was first invented in 1997. Facebook appeared in 2004. The first smartphone with touchscreen became available in 2007. The ChatGPT generative AI chatbot was launched in November 2022.
There are now an estimated 8,100,000,000 of us. Our diversity is mind-boggling. Some dimensions of our diversity are capture in this image:
Source: Brook Graham, https://chicostateblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/the-diversity-iceberg/
We are so very different.
And yet, we are also the same.
If we are found unconscious, CPR is likely to extend our chances of survival. For all of us.
We also share common needs. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the most fundamental are physiological needs such as air, water, food, sleep, clothing and shelter.
Self-determination theory brought the knowledge that human growth and development is anchored in three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Relatedness – a feeling of belonging – is a powerful driver. It sits behind our tribalism, and so much of the present-day discord, polarisation, and exclusion.
Diversity?
For us, it is reality. And an important aspect of nature:
“Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.” – The Royal Society
Equity?
For us, in Australia it's called "fair go".
Inclusion?
As Andrés Tapia observed:
"Diversity is the mix, inclusion is making the mix work."
We've found some practical tools that help "make the mix work".
Offering: people data, insight, collaboration
Our service offering is anchored in a deep care for the wellbeing of council employees, and, through their good work, the wellbeing of the community the council serves.
If you are looking for assistance with:
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people & culture data,
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organisational development,
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workforce / gender equality action plans, or
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practical tools for effective meetings and collaboration,
we can help.
If you are looking for collaboration with other councils to share services, we'd love to talk.
Client voices
"[We] worked with Gregor to complete the progress audit.
Gregor provided us the ability to do a thorough audit of
our employee data under each of the workplace
gender equality indicators.
He completed his work in a professional and timely manner.
Gregor also identified opportunities for process improvement
to ensure that the next round of reporting is business as usual.
I would recommend Gregor’s consultancy services to
support your council reporting."
- Child Safety & Gender Equality Officer, Regional City Council
"We have found Gregor to be a well-informed, attentive and thoughtful consultant. Gregor is very much driven by evidence and metrics and his solutions are definitely not one size fits all.
Gregor is very approachable and always follows through on his commitments. He has been a pleasure to work with."
- Organisational Development Manager, Regional City Council
“Gregor’s extensive knowledge ….
together with his people skills, diligence and reliability,
have earned him the absolute respect of
staff and elected officials alike at Council.”
- CEO, Metropolitan Council
Consultant Profile: Gregor Ptok
Gregor has been a trusted adviser to the local government sector in Australia since March 2008.
He has worked as HR and Management Consultant. Initially employed by Local Government NSW, after moving to Melbourne, he continued contributing to the sector as external consultant to councils and industry associations, including the Municipal Association of Victoria.
Profile highlights include:
15 years’ experience as People & Culture consultant for local government
Gregor provided consulting services to councils in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. In Victoria, this included running the MAV HR Benchmarking Survey from 2014 to 2020. He is very familiar with the local government workforce, its challenges, and the broader sector. Contributions to the sector include:
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Assisting a metro council with the development of their workforce plan
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Delivering and continually improving annual HR Metrics Benchmark reporting for councils in NSW and VIC, including the MAV HR Benchmarking Survey 2015 – 2020
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Developed and pitched the "Australian Local Government Clearinghouse" project to all councils and at the 2018 National General Assembly - to support the local government industry take strategic control of all the data they contribute to different providers
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Consulting to the on the topic of comparative HR reporting
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Conducting organisational and culture reviews at 13 councils
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Facilitating staff surveys and CEO performance reviews
Workplace Gender Auditing and Action Planning
Gregor has a deep understanding of the data that goes into preparing a workplace gender audit. In 2021, he was asked by the MAV to provide a local government perspective on data collection for the inaugural Workplace Gender Audit. In the previous two years, whilst the Gender Equality Act was prepared, he had already started to incorporate broader gender- and intersectionality-datasets in the MAV HR Benchmarking Survey.
Since then, he:
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Conducted a Gender Pay Gap review for an interface council (2022)
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Worked as Workforce Planning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lead at a city council (2022-2023)
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Provided extensive input into the 2023 progress audit consultation run by the Public Sector Gender Equality Commission
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Completed 2023 Workplace Gender Audit data collection for a regional city council
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Assisted with an ANZSCO coding review for employee positions at a regional city council
Training in law, mediation and facilitation.
Legal training is very helpful when navigating legislation and regulation. A clear understanding of statutory requirements helps balance what internal (HR) systems can deliver with what might be sought in surveys.
Mediation and facilitation skills have been invaluable when gathering data or reporting results to stakeholders. Gregor is one of only 17 Australian facilitators accredited in the highly inclusive Time to Think methodology.
Diversity, equity and inclusion - passion and lived experience.
As migrant, Gregor cherishes the inclusive potential of communities and organisations.He is inspired by what he sees as Australia’s potential – a nation with direct access to the human wisdom and knowledge from the Earth’s oldest living culture, from European and many other cultures from around the world.Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of who he is and what he contributes.